Homemade Baked Ziti

Ingredients

Instructions

0 of 7 steps complete

1. 1Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ziti 2 minutes less than the package's al dente time — it finishes cooking in the oven. Drain and toss with the olive oil.
2. 2Meanwhile, brown the ground beef with the onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, for 6–8 minutes. Cook until the beef reaches 160°F with no pink remaining, then drain off the excess fat.
3. 3Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the marinara, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes if using, ½ tsp of the salt and the pepper. Simmer 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
4. 4In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, parsley, the remaining ½ tsp salt and 1 cup of the mozzarella until combined.
5. 5Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Add half the ziti, dollop and spread all of the ricotta mixture over it, then spoon over half the remaining sauce. Repeat with the remaining ziti and sauce.
6. 6Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella evenly over the top. Cover loosely with foil sprayed with cooking spray so the cheese doesn't stick.
7. 7Bake covered 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 15–20 minutes more until the cheese is melted, golden in spots and the sauce bubbles at the edges. Rest 10–15 minutes before serving so the layers set. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours for 3–4 days.